Toronto Blue Jays

Track Record: Machado signed at 16 for $775,000 as one of the top prospects in the 2019 international class. After the pandemic erased the 2020 season, Machado only got one plate appearance in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League before hamstring problems derailed the rest of his 2021 campaign.
Scouting Report: Machado is one of the best prospects in the system that few people outside the organization have seen much recently. When healthy, Machado has shown a promising blend of quick-twitch athleticism, tools and ability to hit in games. He takes quality at-bats with a good approach for his age and makes frequent contact with a quick, compact swing from both sides of the plate. It’s a hit-over-power profile now, but with the bat speed and strength projection to grow into average power. He’s an above-average runner who should be able to stick at shortstop, where he has the range for the position with quick first step, good footwork, secure hands and a tick above-average arm.
The Future: Machado’s lack of playing time creates a lot of uncertainty to his forecast, but he’s a strong breakout candidate if he can stay healthy in 2022.

Track Record: Robberse was a skinny 16-year-old throwing in the mid-80s in the summer of 2018. The next spring, he reached 88 mph before signing with the Blue Jays for $125,000. He went to the United States after signing and touched 90 mph. When the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League started, he was up to 93 mph. He made his full-season debut in 2021, reaching High-A Vancouver as a 19-year-old.
Scouting Report: Robberse is an easy operator with smooth, fluid mechanics. It’s a low-effort delivery with good arm speed, and while Robberse has gotten stronger over the last few years, he still has a lean, lanky build to project more velocity to his 89-94 mph fastball. He shows feel to spin both his hard curveball and mid-80s slider, both average pitches that could still tick up. He throws a firm changeup that isn’t much of a factor yet. Robberse’s walk rate jumped upon his promotion to High-A, but he’s usually a solid strike-thrower with a repeatable delivery.
The Future: While Robberse’s stuff isn’t overpowering, the projection indicators are encouraging, with the pitch mix, control and delivery to remain a starter. He likely returns to High-A to begin 2022 but could be in Double-A as a 20-year-old.

Track Record: At 5-foot-6, Pinto is typically the smallest player on the field. That didn’t deter the Rockies, who signed him for $120,000 out of Venezuela, and he was outstanding in his pro debut in 2021. Pinto had more than twice as many walks (38) as strikeouts (18) in the Dominican Summer League, ranking second in the league in both batting average (.360) and on-base percentage (.486) and fourth in slugging percentage (.543). The Blue Jays acquired him before the 2022 season along with outfielder Raimel Tapia in exchange for Randal Grichuk. Scouting Report: Pinto has a small but strong, compact build. He has outstanding hand-eye coordination and a short, quick stroke, rarely swinging and missing. His ability to recognize pitches and swing at good pitches are already advanced for his age, with a short strike zone that he doesn’t often expand. Pinto is more of an on-base threat than a power threat, but he has some sneaky pop for his size and isn’t just a slap hitter. Pinto’s tools jump out as well. He’s a plus-plus runner who led the DSL with 41 stolen bases. He has a plus arm too. He he spent most of his time last year at second base, his most likely defensive home. The Future: Pinto has yet to make his U.S. debut, but he’s a breakout candidate and one of the organization’s most exciting players below the full-season level.

Track Record: Carter teamed up with Phillies first-round pick Andrew Painter at Florida’s Calvary Christian to form one of the more fearsome pitching duos in prep baseball. A Miami commit, he was a staple on the summer showcase circuit and one of its fiercest competitors on the mound. The Blue Jays selected Carter in the fifth-round, signing him for a well above-slot bonus of $850,000.
Scouting Report: Evaluators love Carter’s fierce and fiery mentality on the mound, earning the bulldog label from many. A three-pitch mix led by a low-90s fastball, that’s touched 96 mph, with spin rates in the 2,500-2,600 rpm range, Carter mixes in a split-changeup that has gotten plus grades from scouts, and a newly developed slider in the low 80s that has replaced a 12-6 curveball he used as an underclassman. Despite an intriguing pitch mix, Carter comes with question marks around his ability to start due to an extremely high-effort operation that features a pronounced head whack. Despite the explosive violence in his operation, he shows athleticism and control of his big frame often messing with timing, with Johnny Cueto-like pauses.
The Future: An exciting young arm talent with starting pitcher upside but a very high level of reliever risk. If Carter can iron out his mechanics and continue to throw his three-pitch mix for strikes he has a shot to develop as a starter long term.

Track Record: After signing for $100,000 as a 24th-round pick in 2019, Horwitz emerged as a legitimate prospect in 2021, showing a disciplined approach with in-season swing adjustments that helped him tap into more power. He continued to perform well after the season in the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .375/.459/.484 in 74 plate appearances.
Scouting Report: Horwitz has excellent plate discipline. He walked more than he struck out, consistently making good swing decisions. Horwitz never hit for big power in college, but he generated more impact after tweaking his setup during the 2021 season. Horwitz had a bat waggle that didn’t allow him to get into a consistently good hitting position, with his hands often getting out away from his body when he started his swing. By midseason, Horwitz held his hands tighter to his body before starting his swing. The result was a quicker stroke that allowed him to drive the ball harder and with loft to his pull side. His average exit velocities jumped, and he went from a peak exit velo of 106 mph before the change to reaching 110 mph after. Defensively, Horwitz is below-average at first base with limited speed and mobility. The Blue Jays gave him more exposure to left field in the Arizona Fall League, but his offensive game will have to carry him.
The Future: Whether Horwitz will hit for enough power to be a regular at first base is still a question, so how he does at Double-A in 2022 will reveal a lot about how his game translates against upper-level arms.

Track Record: Van Eyk signed with the Blue Jays for $1,797,500 out of Florida State as the 42nd overall pick in the 2020 draft. He got off to a rough start in his pro debut though, posting a 5.83 ERA as he struggled to throw strikes in 2021.
Scouting Report: Van Eyk pitches off a fastball that sits at 91-94 mph with the ability to reach back for 97. He throws a hard curveball that is his go-to offspeed pitch and is solid-average at times, but he had trouble landing it in the zone. He doesn’t throw his changeup as often, but it’s at least an average pitch that can miss bats with good separation off his fastball. Van Eyk also uses fringe-average cutter in the mid-to-upper 80s. Van Eyk drew praise for his delivery coming out of Florida State, but he battled his mechanics throughout 2021, leading to erratic control.
The Future: Van Eyk should head to Double-A New Hampshire in 2022, an important year for him to rebound and improve his command.

Track Record: Kloffenstein was one of the top pitching prospects in the short-season Northwest League in 2019 and entered 2021 as one of Toronto’s Top 10 prospects. Kloffenstein’s stock dropped in 2021 after his first year in a full-season league, and he had trouble throwing strikes with High-A Vancouver.
Scouting Report: Kloffenstein has an extra-large build at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds and pitches off a mix of four- and two-seam fastballs. The velocity bump from 2020 carried over into 2021, and he sat at 90-93 mph and touching 96. Kloffenstein struggled with his fastball command, however, leading to too much hard contact off his fastball and too many walks. Kloffenstein’s slider is his most reliable secondary pitch. The raw spin on both his slider and curveball are a little below-average, but they both flash average overall. Kloffenstein has a mid-80s changeup that’s a little firm but has good fade, though it’s a pitch he doesn’t use much.
The Future: Kloffenstein lacks a true plus pitch, so he needs to get his delivery in better rhythm to throw more strikes to stick as a starter and regain his stock. Double-A New Hampshire is up next.

Track Record: Hatch reached Double-A with the Cubs before they sent him to the Blue Jays in the 2019 trade deadline deal for David Phelps. He made his major league debut as a reliever in 2020, but returned to a starting role in 2021. Hatch opened the year on the injured list with a right elbow impingement and did make three more major league appearances but spent most of the season in Triple-A Buffalo.
Scouting Report: Hatch is now 27, with a chance he could stick as a back-end starter but might ultimately end up in a relief role. His delivery is smooth and controlled, and he threw plenty of strikes in Triple-A before running into some control issues in the big leagues. His four-seam fastball is a powerful, high-spin pitch that sits at 92-96 mph and can reach 98. He mixes it with a lively two-seamer as well. After Hatch arrived from the Cubs, the Blue Jays encouraged him to throw more of his changeup, which is now his go-to offspeed pitch, grading out plus. He has tight spin on a mid-80s slider that is an average but inconsistent pitch.
The Future: Hatch has the delivery and repertoire of a starter, but given his age and Toronto’s current rotation, he could end up fitting into their bullpen picture in 2022.

Track Record: Morris showed strong on-base skills while in college at Virginia and in the Cape Cod League. Signed for $397,500 as draft-eligible sophomore in the fifth round of the 2019 draft, Morris continued to show his disciplined approach with High-A Vancouver in 2021.
Scouting Report: Morris is an offensive-minded infielder with a hit-over-power profile. He has a good eye for the strike zone, puts together quality at-bats and is comfortable hitting with two strikes. He controls the barrel well, spraying line drives to all fields with a simple lefthanded swing. What holds Morris back offensively is his well below-average power. Entering his age-24 season, he might never develop the strength to drive the ball with much authority. A shortstop at Virginia, Morris has spent time there with the Blue Jays, but he mostly played third base and second in 2021. He has a strong arm that could fit at third base and is reliable on balls he gets to, but his actions aren’t the smoothest and his lack of first-step quickness limits his range.
The Future: Morris has the contact skills and plate discipline to be a high on-base threat, but he will need to get stronger for it to work against more advanced pitching. He will get his first test in the upper minors in 2022 when he opens at Double-A New Hampshire.

Track Record: A standout for Tennessee in the regionals, Dallas started the Volunteers’ opening game of the College World Series against Virginia, after leading the team in wins and strikeouts during the 2021 season. His three-year collegiate career spanned a two year stint at Tennessee after spending his freshman season at Panola JC in Carthage, Texas.
Scouting Report: Dallas is an athletic pitcher, with an up-tempo delivery, and a smooth motion toward the plate despite some effort due to the pace. He delivers the ball from a high three-quarter slot, with a short, fast arm action, a heavy drop and drive operation and a strong leg block, that portends potential velocity gains to be had. Dallas works off of a four pitch mix that features above-average spin. His four-seam fastball has moderate hop, sitting 91-94 mph, touching 96 mph at peak, and is used primarily to set up his trio of secondaries early in counts. His horizontal breaking slider has good velocity sitting in the mid-80s, touching as high as 89 mph, and is his best swing and miss pitch by a wide margin. He shows excellent command of the pitch, and can throw it for strikes or exaggerate the shape to induce chases off the plate glove side. His low-80s curveball is used interchangeably with his slider, featuring 11-5 shape and heavier downward drop than his slider. The pitch is his primary secondary against lefthanded hitters, and is an effective, but not overpowering offering. He throws a low-90s cutter that produced good results in limited 2021 usage.
The Future: Dallas has all the ingredients of a potential back-end starter, with upside to add more velocity to his fastball. Excellent feel for spin, and command of his secondaries drive his profile.

Track Record: Hiraldo had a reputation as one of the most advanced hitters in the 2017 international class when the Blue Jays signed him for $750,000. He showed why during his first two years in Rookie ball, but the reviews were underwhelming in Hiraldo’s first year in a full-season league.
Scouting Report: Hiraldo has a short, quick swing with good bat speed. He’s a good fastball hitter, though his approach can get too aggressive and he isn’t as effective against breaking stuff. Hiraldo has average raw power, though he doesn’t consistently drive the ball in games, often getting caught in between with his approach. Hiraldo has split time between second and third base. His hands are fine and he has a solid-average arm with adequate range.
The Future: Hiraldo’s bat will drive his value, and he will have to show more—whether it’s improving his on-base skills or finding a way to unlock more game power—to develop into a regular. He will head to High-A Vancouver to start 2022.

Track Record: Santos has trended up since the Blue Jays signed him for $150,000 as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela on July 2, 2019. His velocity rose to touch 94 mph that fall, and he made his official debut in 2021 in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League before getting promoted to Low-A Dunedin in September.
Scouting Report: Santos is a lanky, athletic pitcher who stands out for his touch and feel. He pitches at 89-94 mph with good movement on his fastball from his low three-quarters slot. While Santos has a loose, quick arm and a bit of physical projection remaining in his wiry frame, but his game is more about pitchability than power. He’s an advanced strike-thrower for his age with feel for a curveball and a changeup. He has tight spin on his curveball, generally around 2,500-2,600 rpm. Though it can get a bit wide and slurvy at times, it’s a slightly above-average pitch. His changeup is inconsistent but he shows feel for that pitch too.
The Future: Santos isn’t that big, but he has a starter look between his three-pitch mix, control and athleticism with an easy delivery. He should start 2022 in the rotation for Low-A Dunedin.

Track Record: Aponte signed at 16 for $360,000 on Jan. 15, 2021, and while he wasn’t a high-profile player as an amateur, his talent is in line with some of the top international players in the class. He made his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League.
Scouting Report: Aponte has a chance to develop five average or better tools. It’s his instincts that stick out the most, though, especially on the defensive side. Aponte has solid-average speed and arm strength, and while he doesn’t have the high-end speed typical of a center fielder, he’s a diligent worker when it comes to his defense. That shows up in his first-step reads off the bat and his ability to run efficient routes with good range to both gaps. Aponte has a good eye for the strike zone and a patient approach, and while he hit well in games as an amateur, his 27% strikeout rate in the DSL is a concern. Aponte didn’t homer in his pro debut, but he has good bat speed and drove the ball with more impact during instructional league, with multiple balls off the bat over 110 mph.
The Future: Aponte is still relatively under the radar, but if he can improve his contact rate, he’s a good breakout candidate. The Rookie-level Florida Complex League is up next.

Track Record: Pardinho was the top pitching prospect in the 2017 international class when the Blue Jays signed him out of Brazil at 16 for $1.4 million. He was outstanding in his pro debut in 2018, when he picked apart Rookie-level Appalachian League hitters with pitchability beyond his years. Pardinho didn’t pitch much due to a sore elbow in 2019, he had Tommy John surgery in 2020 and threw just three innings in 2021 because of setbacks in his rehab.
Scouting Report: There’s little to go off from the last two years with Pardinho because of his health issues, and when he was on the field in 2019, his stuff had dropped off. That could have been because Pardinho was pitching at less than full strength, so there’s hope his stuff can return to what he had shown at his best. That version of Pardinho pounded the strike zone with a low-90s fastball that touched 96 mph, flashed a plus curveball, showed a slider that could develop into another swing-and-miss pitch and had feel for a changeup as well.
The Future: Pardinho has the repertoire and control to start, but his durability issues create a huge amount of doubt about his future and whether he can hold up in that role. The 2022 season will be critical for him to stay healthy and bounce back.

Track Record: The Blue Jays signed Rojas out of Cuba after the 2020 season. He made his pro debut in 2021 in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League and was one of their best pitchers there, filling the zone and piling up whiffs for a 45% strikeout rate as an 18-year-old.
Scouting Report: Rojas is one of the most athletic pitchers in the organization. His velocity is below-average, sitting at 88-90 mph and touching 92, but there’s arm speed and physical projection for more. Rojas’ fastball gets a high swing-and-miss rate because of its life and the way he commands the pitch.Rojas has good feel to spin a slider that’s an average pitch at times. Rojas is mainly a two-pitch guy, so developing a changeup will be a focus in 2022.
The Future: Rojas has a promising mix of polish for his age to go with projection arrows pointing in the right direction. Low-A Dunedin is up next.

Track Record: Danner was a legitimate two-way prospect in high school, pitching for USA Baseball’s 18U national team for two summers and running his fastball up to 95 mph. Many scouts preferred Danner on the mound, but the Blue Jays drafted him as a catcher with their second-round pick in 2017 and signed him for $1.5 million. It quickly became apparent that Danner’s bat was a liability, but he resurrected his prospect status with a move to the mound for the 2021 season, to the point where the Blue Jays added him to the 40-man roster in November.
Scouting Report: Danner is now a reliever with one of the best fastballs in the organization. He pitches at 95-97 mph and can tickle 100 mph, with good carry up in the zone on his four-seam fastball to blow past barrels. Danner also throws a mid-80s slider that can be an average pitch but is still inconsistent. For a conversion guy, Danner’s pitching background was evident in his control with just 3.0 BB/9.
The Future: If Danner can continue to throw strikes and sharpen his breaking stuff, he should get to the big leagues as a power reliever. He heads to Double-A New Hampshire to start 2022.

Track Record: De Castro received Toronto’s top bonus in their 2019-20 international signing class when he got $1.2 million at 16 out of the Dominican Republic. De Castro made his pro debut in 2021 in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League, where he flashed his athleticism at shortstop with a defensive-minded profile.
Scouting Report: The wiry De Castro draws attention quickly from the way he fields a ground ball. He’s a springy, athletic shortstop with quick-twitch actions. He’s a high-energy player with a quick first step who moves his feet well, with smooth hands and a solid-average arm. He can make acrobatic plays, though like many young shortstops, he will have to cut down on throwing mistakes. An average runner, de Castro has decent plate patience for his age and quick hands, but his lack of strength shows up both in his well below-average power and his inability to maintain his swing.
The Future: De Castro has a chance to develop into a plus defender at shortstop but will need to pack on more strength to develop his offensive game, though he might always be limited to a bottom of the order hitter. He should head to Low-A Dunedin in 2022.

Track Record: Garcia was one of Toronto’s prominent 2021 international signings, landing a $520,000 bonus when the signing period opened in January. Known more for his defense as an amateur, Garcia had a promising debut at the plate as a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League.
Scouting Report: Garcia is an athletic shortstop with slick defense, though with a pair of seven-figure signings in Manuel Beltre and Martin Gimenez also on the DSL roster, Garcia played all over the infield. Garcia has the tools to handle shortstop, with quick actions and a solid-average arm. Garcia is also a plus runner who showed good bat control with a 13% strikeout rate. He has minimal power though, with a smaller frame and limited physical projection, so it’s unlikely he ever does much extra-base damage.
The Future: Garcia can stick up the middle, but he will have to get stronger to prove he can drive the ball with more authority. He should make his U.S. debut in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League in 2022.

Track Record: Hernandez signed out of Mexico in 2017, debuted in the DSL in 2018 and came stateside in 2019, where he had a forgettable debut in the Florida Complex League. He broke camp in 2021 with Dunedin last spring and by August had pitched his way to Double-A New Hampshire, where he made nine appearances out of the bullpen.
Scouting Report: An unusual profile, Hernandez is an undersized soft-tossing righthander whose changeup is his most thrown pitch in his arsenal. The changeup is an easy plus-plus offering with tumble and heavy fade, averaging 10-12 mph of velocity separation off of his fastball and 9-13 inches of vertical break difference on average. It’s one of the rare changeups that is effective against both righthanded and lefthanded batters, with the ability to be thrown in any count. His fastball has good shape with heavy ride and over 18 inches of induced vertical break on average, giving Hernandez good shape to play his changeup off of. The fastball sits 90-94 mph but his ability to command it is still very fringy. Additionally, Hernandez shows a downer curveball in the upper 70s that flashes swing-and-miss potential but has been limited by fringy command so far.
The Future: Hernandez is a very unusual profile with an outlier pitch in his changeup that drives his profile. Hernandez will never be a classic high-octane reliever typical in high-leverage roles, but he could develop into a late-inning option similar to former Red Sox closer Koji Uehara, who lived off of his unusual offspeed pitch.

Track Record: While Venezuelan catcher Luis Meza was Toronto’s top international signing from the 2021-22 signing period that opened on Jan. 15, 2022, they added another exciting, premium position player with Joseph.
Scouting Report: Joseph is a wiry, bouncy athlete whose diligence and attention to detail on defense are evident in the way he shines in center field. He breaks well off the bat with good defensive instincts, running well with good range and efficient routes. Joseph has a strong arm too, giving him the building blocks to develop into a plus defender. During the amateur scouting process, Joseph was a skinny, line-drive hitter, and while he still has a lean frame, the spike in his power has added a new dynamic to his game. He has a fairly sound swing and the raw power to drive balls out from center field over to his pull side, with a chance for more coming as he continues getting stronger.
The Future: An arrow-up player, Joseph’s improved power makes him a priority player to watch at the lower levels this year, though he’s yet to be tested in pro ball. The Dominican Summer League is likely for his pro debut in 2022.